"Liza's At The Palace" REVIEWS- Page 6

[miss pennywise]

Posted: 12/6/08 at 3:35am

I was completely mesmerized by Liza. Her performance is so much more poignant now than it was when she was younger. She's lived, and you can see it, feel it.

***Spoiler Alert***

I basically cried through the whole show. In fact, I don't think there was a dry eye in the house when she sang "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas."

I'm coming back before it closes. Definitely.

[DAME]

Posted: 12/6/08 at 12:36pm

When did you go MP?

[WithoutATrace]

Posted: 12/6/08 at 1:01pm

MP was there last night...I am still in awe of how brilliant it was.

[DAME]

Posted: 12/6/08 at 1:12pm

Is she selling out?

[DAME]

Posted: 12/6/08 at 4:47pm

From the Liza yahoo fan list.. I am sure it is ok with this poster for me to put this up.

Hi all

I dont post that often. When i do i am sometimes sent responses off list from individuals either thanking me for my honesty for deriding me for not saying everything Liza does is wonderful.

so here goes my review of Friday December 5ths Show which I had tickets to. Sitting in the third row center of the orchestra i believe i was able to really see and hear liza as she really is.

First off let me state the sound system, sets, costumes, choreography and the act itself are all really first rate. Its the kind of show that really takes a strong personality that is also a powerhouse performer in total control of her powers.

Liza...in a word...was MAGNIFICENT. I cannot remember the last time I have felt that chill up and down my body sitting in the audience watching Liza. She came out strong. It was obvious she was in much better shape than when she was at Coney Island or the Tilles Center. Not only physically but vocally. Her first song...Teach Me Tonight was a good opening number and she moved well and sang strongly. Much more so than on any song shes opened with in the last few years including the special opening for Lizas back. then she literally sailed into song after song and at times, although she did seem breathless, she did not seem ill. What Makes a Man a Man, My Own Best Friend, If were all very well done dramatically and vocally. When she went into the Palace Medley it really was an historic moment. or i should say an historic several moments. the entire number was just sensational and when liza reached for the high notes in Some of these Days they were all there. It was at the same time, an eerie reminder of Judy at the Palace and a reminder that Liza anywhere doing this well...is the ONLY performer of her time who can really transport you into her world. the banter, the stories, the fun, the interaction with the audience was just wonderful and as strong as the voice started out somehow she was, as usual, gaining momentum. Not since before LIzas Back have I seen and heard Liza this good.

i have seen Liza do the Kay Thompson routine a couple of times. It never knocked my socks off although she certainly always worked hard and obviously enjoyed doing it. now the Kay Thompson segment is actually as good as the rest of the act. She is costumed and choreographed beautifully and she is moving with ease and grace. the legs are long and strong. yes she runs of out breath here and there, but the voice remains strong and the humor and showmanship more than make up for a few rough edges when the breathlessness kind of takes the wind out of her sails. theres also unabashed sentiment in the stories and the entire routine but in Lizas magnificent hands and voice and feet it never sinks into audience manipulation and by the end of the segment it leaves me thinking...if Kay Thompson were half this good why oh why did Hollywood never use her in more films or at least film what she had done! Oh and as an afterthought Liza began the second act with a version of But the World Goes Round that was just about the strongest and steadiest I have ever heard her do.

After I Love a Violin which had two encores she settiled into or should i say dove into My Mammy and New York New York with zest, energy, verve, fun and above all a strong soaring voice. In Mammy she stopped at the end and told the band she started the end in a key even she couldn't cover so lets go back and start from here...and then hit it out of the stadium so far i was sure thered be nothing left for New York. Slap me please for not having faith. Because NY, NY came out rich and strong and if a couple of notes were a little rough around the edges it didn't show because even above the music and shattering applause that strong controlled vibrato was clearly heard. She wished us all Have Yourself a Merry LIttle Christmas which brought tears to everyone's eyes including her own.

Other highlights included knock out versions of Hes Funny that Way, Cabaret(this was another one hit out of the park, across the street. over the fifty night street bridge and landed somewhere in Long Island i am sure.) and i know i am leaving out a few of the numbers which were no less enthralling. I also want to say that Billy Stritch, whom i dont always enjoy, is to be commended. He looked good, he sang well, and its obvious...he adores Liza not just as a performer but as a person. And last but NEVER least the four guys with Liza are all very talented and energetic. I have seen Johnny Rogers a few times now and this guy really is talented and as one person behind me said..."hes adorable. that smile lights up his face and everyones around him!" and the guy can also sing. of the four he is clearly the best but this does not mean the other three arent also very very good.

and the audience. Liza needs an enthusiastic audience which we were. at the beginning i think we were a little too enthusiastic because we were standing for everything and not even waiting for the end of the songs! but as the night went on it was clear...we could not cheer loud enough, we could not applaud strongly enough, to adequately let this woman know just how great she was. I saw Joe Luft in the first row. she sang to him at several points and he seems like a very quiet nice person. I also saw Scott Schecter in the front row and i like to watch his reaction to Liza because sometimes i think I am just overreacting because Ive seen Liza more times than i can count since 1977 and maybe i just get too carried away. But Scott was as taken as the rest of us were. So I know it wasn't just an over enthusiastic audience. It was Liza. She got to every single member of that audience.

More than anything i think what i really enjoyed most was not only was Liza moving well, looking good, singing great and obviously having a hell of a time. But Liza is HEALTHY and STRONG. She has become more than a great entertainer or even a national treasure. She has become someone who sends us all a message that no matter what you can come back from anything stronger than ever. Brava Liza. The Palace has royalty. She is the Queen of Broadway and long may she wear this crown which she so richly deserves. If you have a chance to see her at any price...its a bargain. Theres Streisand, Manilow, Tina Turner, Midler, Neil Diamond, Cher...and then there is Liza. Ive seen them all and im happy to say Liza is still the best.

oops..sorry i went on so long. i should have just said...the reviews did not exaggerate. Liza was good.

thank you for your attention.

Happy Holidays everyone

Fred

[wowobball2000]

Posted: 12/6/08 at 6:07pm

Currently buying tickets to see the show, but I've never been to The Palace. I'm looking at the rear balcony $55 tix. How are these seats? Will Liza look like an ant from up there?

[PalJoey]

Posted: 12/6/08 at 6:11pm

Yes...but don;t worry. Liza knows how to play to a balcony. Bring some opera glasses.

[GYPSY1527]

Posted: 12/6/08 at 6:16pm

I sat in the front row of the balcony opening night and was very pleased with the view. I could see her fine and didn't have opera glasses. She is a consumate performer and plays to every damn person in the theater.

[wowobball2000]

Posted: 12/6/08 at 6:51pm

Terrific, thanks for the responses. Just purchased my tickets for the 28th!

Updated On: 12/6/08 at 06:51 PM

[Elphaba3]

Posted: 12/6/08 at 9:22pm

Joe Luft was there last night?! I wish I would have seen him.

[Mildred Plotka]

Posted: 12/6/08 at 10:25pm

Glad to hear Liza has a triumph at The Palace.

[Elphaba3]

Posted: 12/6/08 at 11:52pm

Michael Berresse and Jeff Bowen were also there on Friday night. I didn't see them though.

[TulitaPepsi]

Posted: 12/7/08 at 1:21am

Funny you should mention Michael & Jeff, Elphaba3. Jeff just gave Liza a write-up on the [title of show] blog.

It's the definitive review. In part:

For real, y'all...LIZA IS AT THE PALACE and you need to be too!

Okay, this is the most amazing show on Broadway right now. Sorry to all my friends in other shows, but I know they would feel the same way. I took the ride hard core tonight with Ms. Minnelli and let me tell you, it was a ****in' fantastic night of theatre. This woman is bananapants!

I'm still kind of beside myself and so damned happy that I got to see this woman in her true form. She's healthy, she's happy, she's lucid, she's funny, she's heartbreaking, she's freakin' dancing, she's still a great actress and she's still an excellent musician. I told Hunter tonight that even when Liza's vibrato goes crazy and swings back and forth in a (nearly) major second, if you mathematically added together the entire wobble of the note, I bet a hundred dollars the average note being sung is perfect pitch. And she should be teaching master classes on microphone technique. A microphone is to Liza what the baseball bat was to Babe Ruth.


Jeff loves Liza

[tytonius]

Posted: 12/7/08 at 1:31am

Even this straight man who sat near me appeared to understand and enjoy the show - That's bizarre!

[WiCkEDrOcKS]

Posted: 12/7/08 at 2:30am

My thoughts on the show: (I started a new thread to include my SEAGULL and SA comments...)

When I heard Liza Minnelli was returning to New York (and to the Palace, no less) I made sure I bought tickets literally the minute they went onsale. I grabbed a seat in the fifth row in the Orchestra and could not be more excited. I saw Liza's last show at the Palace (MINNELLI ON MINNELLI) and to be honest, I was underwhelmed. When she sang standards like "Meet Me In St. Louis" and "The Trolley Song" but I was a bit bored by everything else. Yes, she's a legend, yes I was thrilled to see her live, and yes I did enjoy it. I was just underwhelmed.

This time around (last evening), I took my seat, expected a performance a step down from the so-so one she had given eight years ago for obvious reasons (her health being the main one) and once the house lights went up for intermission, I was in tears. She not only IMPROVED, she gave me what is arguably the most memorable night of theater I've ever had in my life.

She got a standing ovation after literally every single song (and halfway through NEW YORK, NEW YORK, the audience roared to their feet) and sold every single number like no one but Liza can. Every single song was fantastic, each like an individual play within itself. And Liza slipped more than comfortably into each of the 19 songs she performed. The show is not perfect to be truthful (the Kay Thompson stuff goes on for a little too long but it's still entertaining) but I will never forget a second of what I experienced at the Palace last night.

Standouts included her opener "Teach Me Tonight," "I Would Never Leave You," a love letter to her fans, "But the World Goes Round," her act two opener, "My Own Best Friend," "Cabaret," "Maybe This Time," and "Palace Medley." I also really enjoyed "Mammy," which she stopped to check the key on...and then asked the audience to forgive her. Which they did. Because once she got back on key, she belted it out like no other. But the second act left me on a high like I've never had. "New York, New York" was sung better than she's done since she originally performed it in the film. And her encore, "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas" was in turn heartbreaking, uplifting, and unbelievably touching (I was bawling).

The patter between the songs was so incredibly interesting. And truly what I love about Liza is that no matter what she goes through, no matter what life throws at her, she keeps trucking through it with the vigor of a 20 year old. And she is known around the world, but makes her shows a tribute to people who have made her who she is as opposed to a tribute to herself. She's a diva but in a very selfless way. She is truly one of a kind.

And I wasn't worried once that she was going to collapse! Haha...she was out of breath obviously after the big dance numbers, but during them, she more than kept up with the boys (who are wonderful). But she was FIERCE. She ripped into those songs like no other, connected with the audience in an amazingly personable way, and gave me the best Christmas gift I've ever had. A night at the theater that I sat there and forgot was a night of theater. It was a transcendent, almost religious night out.

I don't really know what else to say. Liza is a legend, an icon, and this comeback will go down in history. I already have tickets for the last performance. And I can't wait.

At one point, I was truly taken aback. She truly, selflessly, and wholeheartedly thanked the audience for coming out to see her. I felt like standing up and screaming. No, Liza. Thank you. For giving a packed house at the Palace Theater a night they will never forget and for being so incredibly strong and truly one of a kind.

**** out of ****
Grade: A



Thread with review...

[WithoutATrace]

Posted: 12/7/08 at 3:23am

Thank you, WickedRocks, for such a heartfelt review. I agree 100% that it was a religious experience. I was so engrossed in the performance the entire show. She sounded and looked incredible on Friday evening when I last saw the show. I too was balwing during "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas" and already have my ticket for the last performance on 12/28. I see it for the third time on Tuesday 12/9 and I can't wait.

[WiCkEDrOcKS]

Posted: 12/7/08 at 3:26am

I am so excited to see her final performance...and I'm crossing my fingers that it will be her final show and she won't extend...and also that she'll change her encore by then. Maybe to one of her mother's standards...

[Yawper]

Posted: 12/7/08 at 4:51am

Her usual non-holiday encore of late has been an a capella "I'll Be Seeing You."

[MamasDoin'Fine]

Posted: 12/8/08 at 8:31am

The double CD of this production is brilliant, simply fantastic. I'm kind of happy they didn't go the 'live recording' way with this one. A lesson was probably learned with 'Minnelli On Minnelli'.

[WithoutATrace]

Posted: 12/8/08 at 8:34am

I completely agree, MamasDoin'Fine. I have been listening to the CD non-stop sinnce Wednesday evening. It is terrific!!

[MamasDoin'Fine]

Posted: 12/8/08 at 8:38am

Dare I say, a mature Minnelli can be heard, and she sounds wonderful.
I saw the show at the London Coliseum and as I have 3 days in New York this weekend I may just have to pop along to the Palace- I mean it is THE Palace!

[jaystarr]

Posted: 12/8/08 at 9:20am

The double CD are just superb! I cant stop listening to it for the past few days. Mama's DoingFine is correct- I love the more 'mature' sounding Liza.

The show is NOT to be missed!

J*

[WithoutATrace]

Posted: 12/8/08 at 9:42am

Calling her "a mature-sounding Liza" is a compliment to her in my book. For a 62-year old woman, she looks and sounds fantastic...and yes, MamasDoin'Fine, you must "pop along to the Palace" to see this again. True brilliance.

[MamasDoin'Fine]

Posted: 12/8/08 at 9:48am

It was meant in the most complimentary way possible- Liza is certainly back!

[jaystarr]

Posted: 12/8/08 at 10:04am

Well for me .. I got used of listening to 1973 Cabaret Movie Soundtrack and the New York New York Soundtrack...so i call it 'mature- sounding liza" -you know what I mean?

She did have some recording after that but she rarely did a recent Cabaret, Teach Me, maybe This Time, World Goes Round, New York New York versions! Well- she is still the same old fabulous Liza in my book! I mean 'mature sounding' as a compliment..

Well- just look at her photos ..

Isnt she just fabulous in this photo?




Liza is looking' good! this was not photoshop'd guys!

she looks like this in person!

J*